A lifelong love affair with the leopard

The Greater Kruger National Park is renowned for having one of the world’s highest leopard densities. The Sabi Sand Game Reserve, which shares a border with the Kruger, lays claim to a leopard population, that is known to be relaxed around safari vehicles.

Lion Sands Game Reserve, owned by MORE Family Collection, is the only private wildlife sanctuary that has a foothold in both the Kruger and Sabi Sand — the best of both worlds. This means guests are treated to unforgettable sightings of a diverse number of species, among them the leopard.

The MORE Family’s lifelong love affair with the leopard and a deep desire to share this information with their guests comes to life in the new Leopards of Lion Sands Game Reserve guide.

MORE Family Collection field guides follow the lineage of generations of leopard and watch their lives play out. Individuals are documented and identified; their movements and kills traced. Leopard scat is collected for DNA studies. This information is shared to Panthera, a non-profit dedicated to the conservation of wild cats and the ecosystems they inhabit. The data supports a collaborative database that builds a better understanding of the leopards in the greater Kruger National Park. 

“It was our wish to enhance the unforgettable moments guests spend in the company of the leopard, and so the labour of love that is the Leopards of Lion Sands Game Reserve guidebook was born. This will bring our guests closer to the dynasties that roam the Lion Sands Game Reserve,” explains MORE Family Collection CEO Robert More.

Combining spectacular wildlife photography with the backstories of individuals in the Kruger and Sabi Sand, the territories they frequent and fascinating facts, this guide reveals the often-hidden world of these largely solitary big cats.

From the unique way in which leopard are identified by ‘whisker spot patterns’, through to being assigned a name once they become territorial, a picture builds around each individual. And every name has a story, whether linked to a leopard’s physical appearance, their personality, or an event in their lives.

Among them, a female called Porcupine, named after a road in the Kruger National Park, the male Ingwe Donga, unmistakeable due to his orange colouring and green eyes, not to mention a huge scar from his nose to his ear, and the gentle Hanyile who is so tolerant with family members, he once relinquished a kill to a female and her two cubs. Close-up photographs and descriptions help guests identify the individuals they may see.

By visiting the Lion Sands Game Reserve, guests will know that they are contributing to the conservation of the leopard — ensuring that their habitats remain intact for generations to come. The Leopards of Lion Sands Game Reserve guide is their reminder of this contribution and of the magnificent big cats themselves.

For more about Lion Sands Game Reserve, click here

Images: Francois Fourie